'Heroes: Reborn': Ali Larter Won't Return, Zachary Quinto Unsure

Our current Great Age of The Reboot is not limited to movies: NBC's plan to return to the world of their seminal superhero TV series Heroesin the form of the 13-episode miniseries Heroes: Rebornis itself a "soft reboot" of that show's universe. While hardcore fans of the original show's run are no doubt delighted, general audience reaction is mixed at best.

The first season of Heroes was a bonafide phenomenon, presaging comic book-inspired properties like the CW's Arrow and the upcoming Gotham and Constantine by proving that dark, mature superhero storylines could not only work for television, but also result in major viewership. The show's ratings quickly dropped off, however, and it was canceled after four seasons.

Heroes: Reborn is getting a prequel webseries before its premiere in 2015, and while creator Tim Kring intends to launch a new cast of characters and original stories, broad hints about the return of certain familiar faces from the first show have so far yielded only one officially reprising his role: Jack Coleman will once again play Noah Bennet (the Man in the Horn-Rimmed Glasses).

As for the rest of the original cast, nothing was set in stone. Today, though, we can definitively count out one star, while another will neither confirm or deny. Ali Larter, who played multiple superpowered characters (and some were split personalities) was asked by TVGuide.comabout the possibility of returning. Larter's answer was "No." She elaborated:

advertising

"At this point, I think I've heard that Jack [Coleman] is coming back, but I'm committed to [TNT's] 'Legends.' I'm on series, so I don't have the time to work on another project. Not that I didn't love 'Heroes' and loved working on it, but I'm just at a different stage of my life. I'm super excited and proud to be a part of this show and working with Sean Bean and an incredible cast."

While Larter's commitment to and excitement for Legends certainly sounds like her career priority, she did suggest that a cameo appearance wouldn't be out of the question, saying: "It could be possible if ['Legends'] would let me. It's like the studio system from back in the day. They own me now, so they tell me what I can and can't do."

advertising

Zachary Quinto, on the other hand, sounds more than a little ambivalent about the prospect of reprising his star-making turn as the villain Sylar. Quinto recently spoke to IGN about his returning as Sylar in some capactiy. Quinto said the following:

"I've been in touch with Tim [Kring, creator] and he told me they were doing this and we left the door open for me to be involved. The trouble is really my availability. I don't know that it would really even be possible. And it's a challenge for me because that experience and role and opportunity really changed my life completely and sent me on a path that I might not have otherwise have been on, but at the same time I'm very interested in forward momentum, I'm very interested in expanding and defying people's expectations of me."

While Quinto owes his time in the sun to Kring and Heroes, he has definitely gone a long way toward keeping his fans guessing about what he's capable of and what he'll do next. His pivotal role as Spock in the rebooted Star Trek films seems to have anointed him as a movie star, but it remains to be seen if he can carry a picture outside an ensemble.

More interesting were Quinto's surprising roles in the first two seasons of FX's horror anthology series American Horror Story, first as a man betrayed by his husband (and then haunting the Murder House as a ghost) and then as a depraved serial killer known as Bloody Face. Neither choices would necessarily be expected of an actor with his star on the rise. Incidentally, Quinto did confirm that his schedule has prevented his involvement in the next season of AHS, called Freak Show.

advertising

As for defying expectations, Quinto acknowledged that when it came to reprising Sylar, "I don't know that going back to such a definitely iconic character would necessarily do that." The actor also noted that he has not been made any offer to return anyway but showed his support for the project, saying: "I'm glad they're doing it and I know that whether or not I'm involved that the fans will enjoy it."

The decision to try and lure back some of the more well-known cast members of the first two seasons of Heroes may be a toss-up anyway, and far from a sure thing. Audiences' antipathy toward the show during the end of the its run had more to do with the sense that it was spinning its wheels creatively, rather than any disdain for the cast. Still, the show's fourth and final season featured a slate of new characters, and audiences tuned out in droves.

Are you excited for Heroes: Reborn? Do you think more of the original cast should return? Sound off in the comments!

Heroes: Rebornwill premiere as a 13-episode miniseries in 2015 on NBC.